1. I believe that the world was created by god billions of years ago. I don't know what was before the world but I think god made the world in 6 days. I also don't know how he made the world but since he is god he has many amazing powers.
2. I think there is evil because there has to be a balance in the world. I don't think god enjoys letting deaths happen but if people didn't die then no one would be thankful for their life and they would take it for granted. We wouldn't be able to recognize the good days without the bad ones so there has to be sickness and death. I also think there is evil to bond people closer and make them stronger because if someone in a family dies then the rest of the family comes together and loves each other even more.
3. After we die, we have judgement day and are judged by god and he looks at our life and determines if we have been good people or not. I think that he is very forgiving and understanding but if you were to do something REALLY bad like kill someone then you would be sent to hell. But if you have been mostly a good person I think god will let you into heaven.
4. we should live our lives by being nice to others, being nice to ourself, being thankful for what we have, and to give back to others around us. we should work hard and always be happy and respect god
Journal 2: Zion: What happens to humans after death? God: Either you are put back into the cycle again to continue to get good karma, or if you are good enough, you go to Moksha, where your atman is liberated and you are re-united with Brahman Zion: Why are the Brahmins top of the caste system? God: Because it is considered a high respect and honor to be able to communicate yourself and others with Brahman and the highest authority should be the one closest to Brahman. Zion: What is my dharma? God: To do what is required from your caste system, follow your responsibilities based on your current stage of life, and practice all kinds of yoga.
Journal 3:
Being mindful over the past 3 days was a weird yet positive experience for me. It made me realize how hurried along and rushed my life is and how I never take time to just relax completely, not just falling asleep. After only 5 minutes (which felt like a lifetime) each day, I feel like I am more relaxed and peaceful. On the first day, I couldn't clear my mind completely and would find myself thinking about what had happened earlier that day, stressful events in my mind, and any other problem or situation that happened that day. The second day wasn't as bad as Friday but I still had a lot of trouble clearing my mind and just sitting at peace embracing the moment. But, by Sunday, I just imagined I was staring at a white wall and just focused really hard on the sounds around me and, at that moment, I realized how quiet it was and a sort of relief fell over me. It soon quickly came easy to me. I didn't have many thoughts while meditating but for some reason I felt really at rest and accomplished at the moment. At first I was a bit confused at why we would have to do something that seemed so simple, but I have actually grown to like it and intend to do it whenever I get stressed out and need to just press pause on the entire universe and recoup myself.
Journal 4:
If I were God giving the 10 commandments to Moses, I would do everything the exact same. As a Christian, I strongly believe that even though some of the thing God said were harsh, they were true and needed. Even though there are many problems in the world today, nobody would know what an alternate present would be if someone were to change, add to, or take away from the commandments. But, there are also many great things in the world today which would be lost if a commandment were to be taken out. Most people have been living by the 10 commandments for thousands of years and if those set of rules were to change, then people's entire outlook on life would change. Even if someone is non-christian, I think that the 10 commandments have made a large impact on the world today.
Journal 5:
The moral lesson in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is to be good to go out of your way to be nice to people even if you don't have to. I have known this parable for a while so I couldn't really answer how I would have liked to know it but I will say that sometimes I have forgotten it. One time that I really wish I had remembered this parable was when I was in 3rd grade and went to a Halloween party at my neighbor's house. I wasn't really friends with this neighbor, but he was still someone I often saw. I went to the party, had fun with my other friends, and went home. I never even said hello to the host of the party. I said thank you to his parents but didn't hang out with him at all. Over time, the guilt started to build up and I went to my neighbor and said "thank you for the fun party" and "sorry that we didn't get a chance to hang out". Even though I fixed the problem, I wish I had remembered this parable earlier so I wouldn't have to hurt my neighbor's feelings or experience the guilt for the couple days that I did. Now when I look back, I realize how the Parable of the Good Samaritan can apply in any circumstance, no matter how great or small.
Journal 6:
Because of many terrorist attacks on America such as 9/11 that happened to be by Muslims, many Americans today have prejudices against all Muslims and think that every Muslim is a terrorist. I don't think this is fair to Muslims because it is just a coincidence that most terrorists are Muslims and not that all Muslims are terrorists. This assumption and prejudice is not fair because Islam is a peaceful religion that teaches things very similar to Christianity and Judaism which means religion has nothing to do with terrorism. To make this better, I think everyone should watch the video of 30 days we watched today in class because it shows a very peaceful side of Islam and how angry the people are that Americans treat them this way. The video can help people understand that Muslims have feelings too
1. I believe that the world was created by god billions of years ago. I don't know what was before the world but I think god made the world in 6 days. I also don't know how he made the world but since he is god he has many amazing powers.
2. I think there is evil because there has to be a balance in the world. I don't think god enjoys letting deaths happen but if people didn't die then no one would be thankful for their life and they would take it for granted. We wouldn't be able to recognize the good days without the bad ones so there has to be sickness and death. I also think there is evil to bond people closer and make them stronger because if someone in a family dies then the rest of the family comes together and loves each other even more.
3. After we die, we have judgement day and are judged by god and he looks at our life and determines if we have been good people or not. I think that he is very forgiving and understanding but if you were to do something REALLY bad like kill someone then you would be sent to hell. But if you have been mostly a good person I think god will let you into heaven.
4. we should live our lives by being nice to others, being nice to ourself, being thankful for what we have, and to give back to others around us. we should work hard and always be happy and respect god
Journal 2:
Zion:
What happens to humans after death?
God:
Either you are put back into the cycle again to continue to get good karma, or if you are good enough, you go to Moksha, where your atman is liberated and you are re-united with Brahman
Zion:
Why are the Brahmins top of the caste system?
God:
Because it is considered a high respect and honor to be able to communicate yourself and others with Brahman and the highest authority should be the one closest to Brahman.
Zion:
What is my dharma?
God:
To do what is required from your caste system, follow your responsibilities based on your current stage of life, and practice all kinds of yoga.
Journal 3:
Being mindful over the past 3 days was a weird yet positive experience for me. It made me realize how hurried along and rushed my life is and how I never take time to just relax completely, not just falling asleep. After only 5 minutes (which felt like a lifetime) each day, I feel like I am more relaxed and peaceful. On the first day, I couldn't clear my mind completely and would find myself thinking about what had happened earlier that day, stressful events in my mind, and any other problem or situation that happened that day. The second day wasn't as bad as Friday but I still had a lot of trouble clearing my mind and just sitting at peace embracing the moment. But, by Sunday, I just imagined I was staring at a white wall and just focused really hard on the sounds around me and, at that moment, I realized how quiet it was and a sort of relief fell over me. It soon quickly came easy to me. I didn't have many thoughts while meditating but for some reason I felt really at rest and accomplished at the moment. At first I was a bit confused at why we would have to do something that seemed so simple, but I have actually grown to like it and intend to do it whenever I get stressed out and need to just press pause on the entire universe and recoup myself.
Journal 4:
If I were God giving the 10 commandments to Moses, I would do everything the exact same. As a Christian, I strongly believe that even though some of the thing God said were harsh, they were true and needed. Even though there are many problems in the world today, nobody would know what an alternate present would be if someone were to change, add to, or take away from the commandments. But, there are also many great things in the world today which would be lost if a commandment were to be taken out. Most people have been living by the 10 commandments for thousands of years and if those set of rules were to change, then people's entire outlook on life would change. Even if someone is non-christian, I think that the 10 commandments have made a large impact on the world today.
Journal 5:
The moral lesson in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is to be good to go out of your way to be nice to people even if you don't have to. I have known this parable for a while so I couldn't really answer how I would have liked to know it but I will say that sometimes I have forgotten it. One time that I really wish I had remembered this parable was when I was in 3rd grade and went to a Halloween party at my neighbor's house. I wasn't really friends with this neighbor, but he was still someone I often saw. I went to the party, had fun with my other friends, and went home. I never even said hello to the host of the party. I said thank you to his parents but didn't hang out with him at all. Over time, the guilt started to build up and I went to my neighbor and said "thank you for the fun party" and "sorry that we didn't get a chance to hang out". Even though I fixed the problem, I wish I had remembered this parable earlier so I wouldn't have to hurt my neighbor's feelings or experience the guilt for the couple days that I did. Now when I look back, I realize how the Parable of the Good Samaritan can apply in any circumstance, no matter how great or small.
Journal 6:
Because of many terrorist attacks on America such as 9/11 that happened to be by Muslims, many Americans today have prejudices against all Muslims and think that every Muslim is a terrorist. I don't think this is fair to Muslims because it is just a coincidence that most terrorists are Muslims and not that all Muslims are terrorists. This assumption and prejudice is not fair because Islam is a peaceful religion that teaches things very similar to Christianity and Judaism which means religion has nothing to do with terrorism. To make this better, I think everyone should watch the video of 30 days we watched today in class because it shows a very peaceful side of Islam and how angry the people are that Americans treat them this way. The video can help people understand that Muslims have feelings too